As it turns out, Friday's Meineke Car Care Bowl against Clemson in Charlotte won't be the last football the USF Bulls will play this season. USF has its first player in a senior showcase event, as defensive tackle Terrell McClain said Thursday that he's accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game in Orlando.

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"I sent my invite back in and they (confirmed) that I would be playing in their game," said McClain, eager to play in his 50th career game at USF.

McClain earned first-team All-Big East honors after starting all 12 games and leading USF's run defense, with 4.5 tackles for loss among his 23 tackles. The game is scheduled for Jan. 22 at the Citrus Bowl -- USF has had a strong presence in the Shrine Game in recent years -- linebacker Kion Wilson had six tackles in last year's game, and receiver Taurus Johnson played in January 2009.

BRYANT GONE: Sophomore receiver Daniel Bryant, who played only sparingly in three seasons at USF, is no longer with the team, unable to remedy academic problems that had him suspended from the team halfway through the season.

"He dug himself a hole and was a little bit behind in getting to those goals," coach Skip Holtz said. "So I took him out of football, not to penalize him but to give him a chance to focus solely on academics, a chance to make it academically. Unfortunately, he didn't."

Bryant, a Tallahassee Chiles graduate who was ineligible for the 2009 season, will not be back with the Bulls, Holtz said. He had one catch for 7 yards against Stony Brook this season after spending time at cornerback before the season started; he had a single punt return for 6 yards and one special-teams tackle in 2008 before taking a medical redshirt. Bryant's departure gives the Bulls an additional scholarship available for the incoming recruiting class.